Trade Agreements

Common Market for Southern and Eastern Africa (COMESA)

The COMESA Free Trade Area (FTA) was launched on 31 October 2000 with nine Member States. This was the first FTA in Africa under the African Union. The FTA consists of 16 Member States trading on a full duty free and quota free basis, with the remaining countries at various stages of joining the FTA.

Member States

• COMESA FTA Member States : Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
• COMESA NON FTA Member States :  Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Swaziland.

The COMESA Treaty

• The COMESA Treaty
• Manual on Rules of Origin
• Change in Tariff Heading Rules

Exporting to COMESA Countries

Duty Free Access to COMESA Member States : To benefit from duty free access in the COMESA region, an exporter must consign his products to countries belonging to the FTA. FTA countries, also known as Group 1 Member States trade on a duty free, quota free basis.

Rules of Origin: The exporter must also ensure that his products satisfy the Rules of Origin. Complete information on the Rules of Origin is available in the COMESA Procedures Manual on the Implementation of the Protocol on the Rules of Origin.

Products shall be considered and accepted as having COMESA preferential origin if they have undergone the following:

• The goods have been wholly produced or obtained in the COMESA Member State; or
• The goods have been produced in the COMESA Member State and the CIF value of any imported raw materials used in their production should not exceed 60% of the total cost of all materials used in their production; or
• The value added resulting from the process of producing the goods from imported materials should account for at least 35% of the ex-factory cost of the goods; or
• The goods should be produced in a Member State and be classified or become classified, after the process of production, under a tariff heading other than the tariff heading under which they were imported (CTH rule). For the list of products for which the CTH rule has been agreed, click here.

Obtaining a COMESA Certificate of Origin : The COMESA Certificate of Origin is issued and approved by:

Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection
Trade Division
4th Floor, Anglo-Mauritius Building
Intendance Street
Port-Louis
Tel: (230) 405 1399
Fax: (230) 208 7325
Email: td@mail.govmu.org
Website: industry.govmu.org

The documents required for approval are as follows:

1. Duly filled COMESA Certificate of Origin
2. Customs Declaration (Import and Export)
3. Export Invoice
4. Appropriate Certified Costing for value added requirements
5. Export Permit (if applicable)
6. Any other documents that may be required

Importing from COMESA Countries

All imports entering Mauritius from a COMESA Group I Member State with a valid Certificate of Origin are completely exempt from customs duties.

A 90% tariff reduction is applicable to imports from non-FTA COMESA countries (also known as Group II Member States) with a valid Certificate of Origin.

The COMESA Regional and Electronic Payment and Settlement System (REPSS)

Member countries can transfer funds more easily within COMESA with REPSS. Importers can pay for goods and services in their local currencies, whilst exporters will be able to invoice their products in their local currency. REPSS is built on open standards and is also accessible to non-member states.

As at January 2015, REPSS counted 6 live participants, namely, Malawi, Swaziland, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Mauritius.

Local banks can access the payment system through their Central Banks. For more information on COMESA REPSS, click here.

Reporting Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs)

NTBs refer to restrictions that result from prohibitions, conditions, or specific market requirements that make importation or exportation of products difficult and/or costly.

Operators can directly report any barriers to trade encountered in the COMESA region through the Non-Tariff Trade Barriers Website. The system also allows for monitoring of the resolution of the complaint filed.

More information can be obtained on the Non-Tariff Trade Barriers Website or the MCCI which is the national private sector focal point for assisting the business community in the reporting process.

Useful Links

• COMESA Website
• COMESA Statistics
• COMESA Business Council